I wish I had taken a picture of how dark black my hands were today after I finished doing the breaks on my mom’s PT Cruiser. What a pain. The front two were a breeze and the second drum break went a little faster the first one which took probably 2 hours by its self. I’m not really a mechanic but like most willing people we get asked to do jobs whether we are gifted or talented enough to really do it. The 5 or 6 hours, in the blazing Florida sun, invested in helping my mom was worth it, but tonight it got me thinking about giftedness.
How many times do we have a whole to fill is some ministry in the church and the first person to even barely mention serving gets stuck in that position. Without thought put into what the position actually calls for, whether or not the person is a fit for the position or not both of those without any thought or energy into helping that person (and all our volunteers) know how God designed them and gift them to serve His kingdom. Maybe this is why volunteer burn out can be a huge problem in most churches? Maybe this is why we can’t find enough volunteers? Maybe they know we aren’t going to help them fit so they don’t even bother.
What if we spent time specially with new people getting an idea of what they liked and didn’t like to do in life and service? What if we worked them into a class that helped them see how God gifted them to serve Him and them got them in direct contact with ministry team leaders that lined up with what they like to do and how they are gifted?* Maybe we would better serve them as they serve the Kingdom?
Just some thoughts.
*adapted from lessons learned from Savannah Christian Church from discussions with their staff and their leadership conference The Next Level.
